AM/PM skincare routine for hyperpigmentation

Hyperpigmentation. I’ve written close to a novel-length amount of text about products promising to fade hyperpigmentation up to this point. I’ve tested A LOT, and to this day, if you want me to immediately “add to cart”, sprinkle terms like “brightening” and “evening out” into your product’s marketing blurb. I won’t be able to resist. Let this skincare routine for hyperpigmentation be my ultimate text on the matter.

Hyperpigmentation means that some areas of your skincare have more dark pigment than others. There’re different reasons for that (more below). But apart from being just darker areas of your skin, that doesn’t mean that your skin reacts in a wrong way or in any way abnormal. It also isn’t a question of personal hygiene.  

It’s true that skin deemed “beautiful” today is even. If you’re reading a lot about skincare, you’ll see again and again that “uneven” skintone is called the number one culprit for skin appearing “aged”. On top of that, hyperpigmentation commentary comes with its own flavour of racism.

My own hyperpigmentation comes merely from healing spots, and sun damage. It’s my own adherence to beauty standards that I can’t wholly shake off and don’t just shrug my shoulders about it.

In telling you about my routine, I will stick to just those two causes (acne-scarring and sun damage), simply because I know about those best.

More reviews of hyperpigmentation fighting products (you’ll see various degrees of enthusiasm and hope in these):

• Paula’s Choice Tranexamic Acid
• Eucerin’s spot treatment with Thiamidol
• Good Molecules Discoloration Correcting Serum
• Good Molecules Daily Brightening Serum

What is it?

Hyperpigmentation is actually a rather complex process. The beauty of it is that you can disrupt the process at various points, and yay, the skincare industry actually came up with various products to do exactly that. The most effective actives against hyperpigmentation are hydroquinone (that isn’t an OTC product here in Germany), retinol, vitamin C, azelaic acid, niacinamide and tranexamic acid. You could also revert back to AHAs and BHAs, because both exfoliate and promote cell turnover.

How does hyperpigmentation happen?

It’s complicated.

Many forms of hyperpigmentation are caused by an excess production of melanin (…). Melanin is produced by melanocytes at the lower layer of the epidermis. Melanin is a class of pigment responsible for producing color in the body in places such as the eyes, skin, and hair. The process of melanin synthesis (melanogenesis) starts with the oxidation of L-tyrosine to L-DOPA by the enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase, then to L-Dopaquinone and Dopachrome, which forms melanin.
As the body ages, melanocyte distribution becomes less diffuse and its regulation less controlled by the body. UV light stimulates melanocyte activity, and where concentration of the cells is greater, hyperpigmentation occurs. Another form of hyperpigmentation is post inflammatory hyperpigmentation. These are dark and discoloured spots that appear on the skin following acne that has healed.
(Underlined by me.)

Wikipedia

Four ways to prevent hyperpigmentation

• First, prevention of the whole process. That is sunscreen, but also trying to prevent spots from forming.

• Second, a lot of products use a tyrosinase inhibitor to prevent melanin from forming. Active ingredients used for that purpose are (amongst others) hydroquinone, arbutin, azelaic acid, kojic acid, tranexamic acid, Thiamidol and vitamin c.

• Third, Niacinamide (and soy?!) functions as a PAR-2 blocker. That means it prevents melanosome transfer (i.e. it inhibits melanin pigment traveling to the upper layer of your skin).

• And then (fourth), exfoliation. This will increase the skin cell turnover, and while new cells are produced, there’s less pigment going around.  

My skincare routine fighting hyperpigmentation

I do not only try to prevent everything that might lead to an excess of melanin production, I also try to use products with actives that target different steps in melanin production.

Vitamin C (AM)

In my AM routine, I always use some kind of Vitamin C product. It’s in my AM routine for a reason: and that is because it also functions as an antioxidant to boost my sunscreen. I use different products: either Beyer’s Vitamin C serum, or I mix The Ordinary’s powder in my toner. If I have a bit of time, I use PSA’s wash-off mask.

Niacinamide (AM/PM)

I then mix some Niacinamide into whatever serum or toner I’m using, and also repeat that in the evening. My skin loves Niacinamide, and as it is a bit like the swiss-army knife of skincare (it truly does it all), I use it day and night, everyday. It’s also great to prevent (remember, the first step to prevent hyperpigmentation), because it increases the skin’s barrier function and can reduce acne and inflammation.

SPF (AM)

I try to use a sunscreen with a high UVA. Also, nearly all of the actives named above will in some way or other increase your skin’s sensitivity to the sun, so sunscreen is a must. You’ll find my 2022 favourites here and here.

Retinol (PM)

In the evening, I always EITHER use azelaic acid or retinol. (And also use Niacinamide.) Retinol, of course, is the jack of all trades, and I want to have it in my routine for various reasons: not only does it promote cell turnover, it also is an exfoliant, preventing breakouts. There’re also studies suggesting that the combination of azelaic acid and retinol mirrors the effect of hydroquinone. My absolute favourite is Paula’s Choice’s 1% retinol.

Azelaic Acid (PM)

Azelaic acid itself can mimic tyrosine, thus reducing tyrosinase. It’s also a mild exfoliant and anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial, thus a great option if you want to block tyrosinase and the cause for breakouts at the same time. Again, my favourite product is from Paula’s Choice.

How to fight hyperpigmentation

If you want to be serious about fighting hyperpigmentation, your approach should incorporate not only one tyrosinase inhibitor. Sadly, that’s what most brands market when it comes to hyperpigmentation: use a tranexamic serum! Or an arbutin/kojic acid + niacinamide one! Which is all fine and dandy, but blocking tyrosinase is only one step in the game.

Prevention is a big thing, so stop those spots from forming in the first place (no picking, either!) and use SPF diligently. And in the end, be realistic in your goals. I do know by now that I won’t manage to even out my skintone completely – I’d need a laser treatment or Pigmanorm/Skinoren for that.

What I (and you) don’t need is a whole cabinet full of serums with different tyrosinase inhibitors.

Please note that this post is not sponsored in any way. We buy products ourselves, with our own money, and don’t accept exchanging goods or money for reviews. We are completely independent, and our reviews reflect that.